Wutong Dong
Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management
Gabriela Cuconato
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Beijing CTV Media Advertising Company is a comprehensive advertising and communication agency that integrates brand planning, design and production, public relations media, and events and exhibitions. In 2016, the company decided to innovate and combine traditional Chinese opera with modern social activities, as well as new generation social media forms such as short videos and live streaming to spread different types of opera and advertising implantation. This innovation provide an efficient way in educating people in society about Chinese traditional culture-Chinese drama, increased the spreading rate of the advertisements, and attracted many people who hope to work in the media industry to come for interviews. For the community of elderly people who love to listen to traditional Chinese opera, attending theater in-person is undoubtedly their ideal entertainment life. Such planned and cultural activities gather people of all ages, occupations, and income groups to attend the opera and these shared interests or hobbies help reduce inequalities in the society.
Beijing CTV Media Advertising originally mainly focused on on-site advertising for Chinese opera TV programs, obtaining the basic broadcast and dissemination of advertisements through television channel ratings. Because it is an outdated traditional Chinese opera program, the ratings of this TV program are not very high in the current economic and technologically growing social environment. In order to make innovations and improve the spreading rate of the advertisements, Dong has decided to invest in social activities such as sending dramas to the countryside and cities as new forms of advertising communication instead of just staying on the TV station. These activities are all non-profit, and everyone is able to join the activity. The business advertisements are printed just on the entries of the gate and on the table provided. After the activity, people are given souvenirs related to traditional Chinese opera and a piece of record of the activity.
During the activities, Dong usually personally comes to the scene to help visitors explain the content and organization of the event. People usually receive a 30-page introduction to the event and traditional Chinese opera culture, as well as an introduction to the upcoming songs. Dong said in an interview, "Even if I cannot make direct profits from the event, I will still be happy because I can provide some strength for the inheritance of traditional culture. Dong believes that traditional Chinese opera culture can bring educational significance to people, such as filial piety to parents, agricultural cultivation, war strategies, and so on. This not only brings more audience to the company's advertisement but also helps spread cultural knowledge.
Dong's inspiration comes from his emphasis on culture through inheriting traditional opera culture. Before deciding to provide these activities to society, Dong had been doing live advertising on local television stations for 10 years. With the continuous development of social technology and the economy, the short video industry is rapidly emerging. This directly led to the decline of the television advertising industry. Dong said in an interview, "The emergence of television was in 1925, and advertising has had traces of its existence for thousands of years. What worries me is that young people's response today to traditional culture is far less stimulating than other forms of entertainment such as video games." The decline of television has to some extent isolated people from the opportunity to access opera. Traditional culture carries the history and significance of the Chinese nation. As TV advertising disseminators, what we need more is to disseminate information with cultural value to society. Industries related to television, especially television advertising, have declined with the gradual decline of television. Dong watched as the employees in the company left one by one, and thought that he must do something to restore the company's past prosperity. After he asked his son, he learned that the reason young people don't like traditional Chinese opera culture was not because it's outdated, but because it was showing approaches that were outdated. It's better to attract young people to come for interviews in a simple and attractive way. The dissemination of traditional Chinese opera culture is not only about the dissemination of culture and company advertising but also about attracting people who are looking for jobs, perhaps fresh graduates from university. By broadcasting the activity live in short video software that young people like many college students believe is a new type of work that they are interested in, Dong combines the needs of the times and traditional culture to inherit traditional Chinese opera in a timely manner.
Overall, in the short term, people's response to such opera performances and dissemination activities is positive. Initially, people were reluctant to participate in such activities due to their ancient and outdated stereotypes of traditional Chinese opera. Because this would make me appear less energetic and not suitable for the group of young people. If I went there, it would make me feel like I couldn't keep up with the times. Even though there are elderly people who like to listen to plays, the number of elderly people in society is not very large, still making the entire activity scene very inactive. Dong said, "At first, the reaction of the masses was not as good as I imagined, but this does not mean that the masses do not care about traditional Chinese opera culture, but rather that their way of dissemination has been cut off". So Dong posted his thoughts on spreading traditional Chinese opera culture on his social media, as well as the content and significance of the activities he was going to do. Therefore, many people choose to participate in this activity in their free time on weekends.
In the long term, such activities have attracted young job seekers, and the company's fireworks have once again been ignited. Meanwhile, as more and more people come to visit the event, the advertisements displayed on the event entrance and other event walls are also seen by more people. Due to the increase in advertising dissemination, Dong's revenue has correspondingly increased, which has brought him more customers to collaborate with him in advertising production and dissemination. Within two years, 13 companies from various enterprises such as food, healthcare, agriculture, and sports equipment have contacted and successfully cooperated with Dong. The company has welcomed profits, and Dong has also increased its dissemination efforts and frequency. This is a virtuous cycle.
Because of Dong's contribution to the society, and his popular way of spreading the culture and advertisements, the company has received job applications from 30 graduating college students and about 10 middle-aged people. As Dong thought, people prefer to work in such an environment because he combines the concept of culture with the dissemination of modern technology. This has brought benefits to the company.
Due to Dong distributing souvenirs to visitors during the event, many retail companies have also expressed their willingness to cooperate with Dong for a long time. Many shopping malls also regularly invite Dong to hold activities around the mall, which can help the mall gain traffic and provide more visitors for the event.
Dong is an entrepreneur who loves the elderly. He will find a small number of employees to contact opera enthusiasts, artists, and nursing homes, and regularly perform opera performances without advertising in the nursing homes. Therefore, Dong also has a good impression in the hearts of people. Dong's actions not only ensure that everyone in the society can hear traditional Chinese opera but they also indirectly promote his activities, and his company.
Dong's innovation has provided employment opportunities for college students and made them feel that working in such an environment is both appropriate and in line with their work preferences. While he brought economic progress to the community, he also received praises from many people. His starting point was not to make money, but to gain benefits from his responsibility to society. Some cities where he has held events are influenced by him and value traditional opera, which undoubtedly represents the best inheritance and respect for traditional culture. Dong gathered people from all walks of life through traditional Chinese opera performances to get to know each other and make friends, which also reduces inequality between people in society.
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Judong Dong, Founder
Beijing CTV Media Advertising Company is a comprehensive advertising and communication organization that integrates brand planning, design and production, public relations media, and event exhibitions.